Gov. Baker Requests Storm Relief Aid From FEMA

Published at 3:20 PM EDT on Mar 27, 2015

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Cars remained buried on East 5th St. on February 10, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Gov. Charlie Baker is seeking federal aid to help fund Massachusetts' response to a series of storms that rocked the Bay State this winter.

The governor's office said in a statement that Friday, Baker submitted a request for a Major Disaster Declaration from President Obama. If this status is granted, the commonwealth will qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Our administration has conducted a thorough data analysis to assess damages and snow removal costs," said Baker in the statement. "We urge the President and FEMA to carefully consider this declaration to provide much-needed relief to our cities, towns and state agencies."

According to Baker, nearly 350 million was spent on sow removal in cities and towns across Massachusetts, while other storm-related costs approached $50 million.

"Over a 28-day period we not only experienced ongoing significant snowfall resulting in nearly 9-feet [sic] of snow, but we also faced consistently sub-freezing temperatures across central and eastern Massachusetts," wrote Baker in his letter to the president. "Despite our experience in dealing with harsh winter conditions, this severe winter pattern brought the commonwealth to a virtual standstill for days at a time. Twenty-five people died. Hundreds more were injured. Our public transit system collapsed, and private sector commerce, government services and healthcare suffered severe disruptions."